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In a surprise twist given how things looked at the start of the 2025 season, the Baltimore Orioles' catching situation is very up in the air at the moment. Adley Rutschman was thought to be one of the best catchers in baseball entering the season, but he got off to a rather slow start at the plate with a .691 OPS and now Rutschman is on the injured list with an oblique issue. Baltimore's one saving grace to this point has been the play of Gary Sanchez.
Since June 14 when he started getting more regular playing time and right before Rutschman got hurt, Sanchez has been a force at the plate. In 66 plate appearances, Sanchez has slashed .295/.348/.574 with five homers while limiting his usual strikeout issues to less than 25%. It would be nice if he had walked more than three times during that span, but that is a minor quibble.
Unfortunately, the good times with Sanchez are currently being threatened. During the Orioles matchup against the Braves on Saturday, Sanchez was removed due to pain in his right knee and, according to manager Tony Mansolino, he will undergo a MRI that could determine Baltimore's next course of action.
Gary Sanchez's knee injury could leave Orioles with no other choice but to call up Samuel Basallo
The timing of Sanchez's injury is brutal. Not only is Rutschman still hurt and not particularly close to returning, but the Orioles also without Maverick Handley (concussion) and Chadwick Tromp (back injury) which represents the vast majority of their pitching depth. Baltimore did sign Jacob Stallings towards the end of June to be the backup, but his bat has negative value and his defensive metrics don't look much better in 2025.
The other option, and one that Baltimore has tried their best to avoid for reasons passing understanding, is to finally give top prospect Samuel Basallo a shot at the majors. While Basallo has gotten some playing time at first base down in the minors, he is still catching the majority of the time and he has put up a .282/.402/.577 line with seven homers since the start of June.
Right now, the Orioles need a spark and they are running out of catchers. They are extremely likely to trade away designated hitter Ryan O'Hearn before the trade deadline which will open up another lineup spot and allow Baltimore to play both Basallo and Rutschman once the latter is activated. This season could be a lost cause, but getting Basallo some reps in the major leagues while covering for their decimated catching corps feels like the Orioles' best option right now.